Strawberry in the Sky
by IchiFell
Summary: What if Ichigo accidentally killed not only his family, but all of Karakura Town when he used Mugetsu? Now, with nowhere else to go, he turns to an old friend for help, supported by a mad scientist to be the only male IS pilot.
1. Bye Bye Karakura Town

**A/N: Well, sorry for the wait guys, and sorry it is not an update for one of my stories. My computer just was on the fritz, lost a lot of data, and it is taking days to fix. Well, anyways, enough about be. This story has been banging about in my head for a while now, so I thought to try to make my first original story. Enjoy!  
Also, it will switch from Third-person limited for Ichigo and some minor input from Chifuyu's view. I think you will be able to tell when this happens.**

"_Mugetsu."_

Ichigo ever so slightly flicked his blade of black energy, completely disproportionate to the destruction caused. From that slight movement, a gargantuan wave of pure destruction leapt forth, decimating all of the landscape in front of him, his target included. Aizen Sosuke, a monster of an existence who was as insane as he is intelligent, was roaring in pain as the wave rushed over him.

With a heavy look, Ichigo watched the destruction in sadness, feeling the life-forces of many beings being snuffed out. 'I am sorry, so incredibly sorry, for all of this' he said mentally as he glided down the ground. As his feet hit the ground, the mask that formed around his face broke away, crumbling into nothingness. 'Well, looks like this is the end' Ichigo thought as he stared down at the corpse of Aizen, which was half gone. 'Good riddance.'

As he gazed upon his kill, a blinding light tore from the corpse of the dead enemy. Amidst the light, a single strand of darkness flew from Aizen's chest, straight to the core of his killer. Unaware of the development, Ichigo merely shielded his eyes before it died down, allowing him to finally notice that Kisuke had been watching, taping the whole event on a camera.

Kisuke merely whistled in shock. Before his feet was the man who posed the greatest threat to Soul Society, done in by a mere human. "Wow, looks like you just became a true hero now. Congratulations, I guess." With his trademark creepy laugh, He stopped due to annoyance. "Hey, don't ignore me!" He shouted, mostly playfully, before noticing the far away look in the strawberry's eyes. "Ah, they are talking to him now. Guess I can wait a little bit."

**X-X In the Inner World X-X  
**

"What's going on? Pulling me in for a final goodbye?" Ichigo asked in confusion, spinning around wildly as he tried to puzzle out why he was dragged back into his soul.

As he looked around, he noticed that his inner world had changed again. Gone was the tiny village, as well as the flood. In there place was buildings much higher up. It is not as it were before, but there was improvement. Now, the surrounding area was dominated by buildings that rivaled the Eiffel Tower in size. "Huh. Looks like an improvement went under way." He said to himself before seeing the person that wanted to talk to him.

There, standing on a pole not far from him, stood Tensa Zangetsu, standing in a happy state in the form of when Ichigo first met him. **"The worst was actually avoided, Ichigo." **The young spirit before him said. **"You are not going to lose you're powers! I don't know how, nor why, but this is fantastic! Now, even your grief is subsiding, allowing your soul to mend itself, even if it is gradual. Oh, what a joyous day!"** The zanpakutou even danced some, mirth pouring from his very pores till a disgruntled voice spoke up again._**"Oh, shut up already. I seriously do not want your 'Happy Happy Joy Joy' bullshit. But at least there is an upside to this." **_ Ichigo's instinct said, a mischievous grin adorned on his face as he got in Ichigo's. _**"I can still have a chance to take control of this body eventually, so good luck, King!**_**"**With a wild cackle, the madman vanished from sight, leaving behind the other two people in the area.

"Bus in all seriousness, is there something that you guys needed?" Ichigo inquired. **"Not really. Just wanted to pull you in for the good news."** Tensa said, cracking a small grin. **"Looks like you won't be rid of us quite yet, partner." **He put out his hand."Nor would I want to be, Tensa." Ichigo shared the grin, gripping the arm put out to him. **"Now, I guess I should let you leave. Don't forget about us here, alright?"**

"Wouldn't forget about it even if I could." With a grin, he too left, vanishing from this world. **"Never look back, and never regret your decisions. We hate the rain, especially the flooding when you hit the lowest point. Don't get drugged with this power of yours, and never give up, Ichigo, for your joy would be ruined, and that is what I strive to prevent."**

**X-X In the Real World X-X**

"Sorry, zoned out there a bit. Wha-" Ichigo started, before seeing the sad and sullen looks of Orihime, Chad, and Rukia. Uryu though, he was absolutely livid. Confused, Ichigo looked around before asking a very simple question: "What's wrong?"

Uryu snapped, punching Ichigo across the face, snapping his head to one side. "You insufferable ASSHOLE!" He shouted. "How can you possibly be so stupid? You erased Karakura off the face of the earth, and you act as if NOTHING had happened? Damn you Ichigo, damn you." By this point, Uryu's shoulders were shaking, tears rolling down his face. Every building, every woman, child, and man, all of them destroyed in your conquest to defeat Aizen. I hope you are happy." Shooting off another glare, the quincy left, heading over the the crater that was Karakura town. "And I hope you are happy now that your whole family is DEAD."

Every bit of air left Ichigo, leaving not a trace left. He fell down to his knees, disbelieving of what his frenemy said to him. "This, this is a joke right? My sisters, my normal friends, dad, all dead?" Ichigo started to blank out, before a sting on his face brought him back. "Don't get depressed!" Rukia shouted, her hand prepared for another strike. "Sure, you fucked you. You royally fucked up. That does not mean that you should just give up on life. Get up, dust yourself off, and get better. If you fucked up now, fix it!"

With a forced laugh, Ichigo interrupted her tirade. "Heh, how ironic. The midget who gave up just because she was caught is now lecturing me on the same thing. Well, I cannot be weaker then you, so I will move on. Thanks, midget." With a true laugh, he put his hand on her head, using her to push himself up. "Well, can't really stay here, now can I? Kisuke, would you open up a Senkaimon back to the Living World? I need to make a call, as well as get access to my body."

Nodding, the scientist opened the way for Ichigo, dumping him on the outskirts of the fake town. Upon entry, Ichigo went to his body, merging with it in a hurry. Flipping open his phone, he opened his contacts list, sighing in relief when he saw that the number he wanted was still there. Selecting it, he brought the phone up to his ear, waiting for the person to pick up the other end.

"Oh, it's been a while since you called, Ichigo. Is there something that you needed?" A female voice carried through the speaker with a relaxed yet crisp tone. "Hey Chifuyu. I have a favor to ask. It is pretty big too, so I would understand if you would deny it." Silence drifted through the conversation for a moment, before the woman spoke up again. "Sounds important. What do you need?" "I need a place to live. I can explain later, but Karakura Town...is kind of not livable for me at the moment." Ichigo crossed his fingers, hoping she would not ask farther into the matter.

Chifuyu didn't take long to reply. "Sure, I can fly by to pick you up. You will have to live alone though, alright? Work has be busy away from home." Ichigo smiled again, glad he was friends with one of the top IS pilots of the world. "Thank you so much. See you seen then." With the final goodbye, Ichigo hung up, looking behind him to see the semi-destroyed town be replaced with the entirely destroyed one. He could hear shouts of fear, anger, regret, which slowly got louder. Looking around, he saw that the entirety of the forces there that were conscious took note of him and flew over to vent.

A sigh nearly escaped his throat when a hand clasped over it, a stinger protrusion atop one of the attacker's fingers. A roar filled with rage and hate erupted from the zanpakutou's wielder, fury set deep in her eyes. "How. How could you let him succeed! You were the only one who could stop him, but he succeeded!" Soi-Fon shouted. "How are you alive! Did you give up on the fight, did you run like the pathetic coward that you are?!" Even Yamamoto looked angry, flames leaping slightly from his cane.

"Aizen is dead, and I stopped him in one shot, midget." Ichigo said in a dead voice, staring directly in the eyes of the Captain-Commander. "But I am also the one who destroyed Karakura Town in that same attack. A regrettable accident, but at least the worlds are saved." Every captain and lieutenant froze at his words. They could hardly believe that it could be so. Their shock grew when Kisuke Urahara came through a Senkaimon right behind Ichigo, carrying the dead body of their greatest fear.

"What he said is the truth. I even recorded the whole fight. Ichigo completely overpowered him. The fight was not a fight, but a one-sided beat down. Aizen Sosuke is dead and gone, along with Kyoka Suigetsu." Kisuke said with a deathly quite tone. "And I need to talk to you, Ichigo. In private." Nodding, Ichigo and Kisuke left behind the Gotei 13, only to be stopped by Genryusai. "I Say this as a final warning. From now on, Ichigo, you are a criminal of the Gotei 13." He held a hand up to stop Ichigo from speaking. "Out of kindness, this order will now go into effect until we all return back to the Spirit world. Secondly, non of us is allowed to hunt you down. This is honestly just going to be enforced as a banishment with a year limit of a century's time. The criminal charges is just a formality. We will welcome you back with open arms once this is over Ichigo, I can promise you that." He paused once more to rest his only hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "I am truly sorry Ichigo. I never wanted this for you." With that, he flashed back to the other captains, all of whom had somber looks adorned on their faces.

With a final glance spared in their direction, Ichigo and Kisuke left in silence. Kisuke led them to the remains of his shop, going straight down the hatch into the old training area.

Kisuke began speaking as they approached a wide clearing. "Before I tell you what I need, I have to elaborate on some things. I know how to make an IS that works for men, but I also need someone to test it out for me. It would take a few years, and it takes a different sort of energy to power it." "Spiritual energy, right? And you want me to test it out, don't you?" Ichigo inquired, genuinely intrigued by the idea. 'To be the only man able to pilot an IS would be awesome, especially in this world where women ruled solely because of that fact. It would put a wrench in the norm, that's for sure.' "You are smarter then you look, Ichigo. I know that you are friends with Chifuyu, so it would work out well. Please, help me on this."

"I accept this arrangement." Ichigo said, sticking his hand out. Kisuke gripped tightly, giving a firm shake before stepping back. "Now, conjure your zanpakutou and slam it into this device here." The man said as he pulled out a weird orb from within his jacket. "And don't worry, it won't affect your zanpakutou's spirit at all, it will just allow easier reiatsu transfer." 'In theory, at least.' he added in thought.

Focusing in the image of his blade, Ichigo held his hand out, with a black mist slowly solidifying around his hand. A few moments later, his cleaver formed, before getting thrust into the center of the sphere. Little happened in the first few seconds, but then the orb began to morph, stretching out into a humanoid shape. At first, everything just enlarged, thickening and elongating, as it turned a very pure shade of black. Then, it hollowed out, bits stretching out to form fingers, each adorned with spiked joints along the fingers. The chest was opened up, easily enter-able at that point.

Then, the details were truly fleshed out. The arms went up to his shoulders, the metal a solid block color with red lines crossing about, emitting a red light in a pulsating manner. Once the elbow was reached, the design changed, with a single line of metal reaching the shoulder, that held bands the periodically wrapped around the arm. The legs were layered, almost like scale mail, each layer overlapping, making it perfect for mobility as well as a showy look. The chest was entirely open, allowing for a greater mobility range for the arms.

Attached to the back were what appeared to be a series of detachable wings. Black as the main color, with a deep purple trimming at the edge of each wing, giving it a shadowy appearance.

"Looks...impressive...so should I get on it or what?" Ichigo said, taking in the appearance with clear satisfaction. "You can, and it will be able to fly as it is, but I locked it so it won't exit the basic IS uses you have there. Also, you will only be able to use a basic sword in this stage, the equivalent of an Asauchi. Now, I know that you are meeting with Chifuyu soon, so go on, equip it and get going." With that, Kisuke left. Seconds later, he popped his head back into the room. "Oh, and I will keep in touch, don't worry." Now he left for good.

Ichigo turned back to the IS, staring at it for a little bit before jumping right in. when he slipped into the compartment, the metal suddenly started to shift, molding out around his chest, stretching out and resting almost in a Venom symbiotic manner, moving with every change he made without hindrance. "Alright then, Zangetsu, Let's rock!" With a feral grin, Ichigo activated his unit, floating a little in the air. 'Good thing that I am used to moving in mid-air. Should be a walk in the park for me." Wooping a joyous laugh, he took off leaving behind only a could of kicked-up dust.

He flew through the hole in the training area's ceiling, out into the bright sky. He corkscrewed, dived, and flew randomly, allowing adrenalin to guide his actions as he had his fun.

Suddenly, he saw a notification icon by the top-right of his face. He stopped moving, allowing himself to hover mid-air, and focused on the icon. This triggered the notice, forming a connection with some other device. "Identify yourself and this model now." The voice was feminine, that was a givin. But it was also a bit deeper then normal, so it left one option in his head.

"Oh, Chifuyu, how are you?" Ichigo inquired, a smirk playing across his face. Static was the sound that came through the connection. Suddenly, as soon as the alert came, it shut off, and the Kurazakura came into view. Chifuyu flew in front of him, shock evident on her face. After all, when you are used to the notion of a special flight machine only women can fly that a person who is definitely a man is piloting, it would shock you as well.

Ichigo's grin just enlarged at that point. Adorned on the face of the most emotionless woman he knew was the look of complete disbelief. Snapping her back to attention, he pointed his finger down, indicating for her to land back down on the ground, to which she quickly complied.

With a burst of recklessness, he pointed straight down, doing a nose-dive that would seem almost impossible to most people. Chifuyu shouted out at him, alarmed at how crazy the maneuver was, only to see him pull out at the last second, somehow canceling out his momentum while only kicking up some ash from off the ground.

Only then did Chifuyu take in the surroundings. She thought that he was merely kicked out of his house and needed a place to stay, not that his whole hometown was utterly decimated into nothing but ashes upon the ground. It appeared as if not one person lived aside from him, yet there had been no reports of any explosive to have had gone off in the nearby area. She knew she had to ask him, but she also knew that an event like this could be very personal. This was knw through her own experience.

As they bot landed on the ground, both units deactivated into a standby mode. Ichigo's IS turned into a black and red version of his Substitute Shinigami Pass while Chifuyu's disappeared, the object the mode took form in not in sight. "So with you being an IS pilot, what was the point of calling me? You could take up residence in the IS Academy for free considering your situation now." Chifuyu said as she approached the teen.

Ichigo laughed when he was questioned before looking back at her. "Wow, I can honestly say I am surprised that that was your first question. I honestly thought that you were going to ask about all of this." He chuckled a little more, throwing his arms out from his sides with a sad smile. "But to answer your inquiry, I got this unit after I called you, so I figured it would be rude to leave without talking to you."

"Well aren't you the kind person?" Chifuyu said mockingly before taking a light tone. "But I know that this is personal to you, so that is why I didn't ask. Anyways, I know a teacher at the IS Academy, so I can lead you there. Just one question." She said, a grin slowly growing across her face. "Do you want a flashy entrance to not?"


	2. Mental Fallout

**A/N: Yay! I actually got a few people to follow an original story of mine! The last one I tried got no favorites, follows, or reviews. Hell, it's been over three months since it was published and I started this chapter and it hasn't even gotten a favorite or review T_T. Anyways, I am sorry if the Karakura town destruction was odd, especially Ichigo's reaction. Quite honestly, he is currently in shock, so he is unconsciously suppressing his memories. I mean, he destroyed everything he has known, aside from a couple of his friends. This may lead to...interesting...developments for his mental stability, depending on the situation. Also, some people won't show up, some will have new backgrounds, and some will have some minor, or not so minor, personality changes.  
**

**I would like to personally thank Bunny153539 for their very helpful review. That person really assisted me in putting my story into a new view, which put back the output for a while but helped made the story better. Thank you for the eye opener.**

**Also, I am a big fan of psychological torture and distress at times, so I most likely will pull it in here because it is just such a perfect opportunity. I am not insane though, okay? I just thought it would go well in a tragedy. **

**Well, enough rant for now. Lets get this going!  
_-_**

With an evil smirk, Ichigo looked Chifuyu directly in the face. "Are we sure that you won't get in trouble for this?" He asked, looking at her carrying him by his armpits.

He was referencing the fact that they hovered above the IS Academy unaware, preparing for a little fun, still with Ichigo being carried by his armpits. Their plan was to drop Ichigo down into the Academy with his IS deployed, having him fly around with Chifuyu in a mock battle.

She then looked at him, her face contorted in a similar devilish smile. "Oh yeah, I am ready for this, Ichigo." Then, without even a moment's warning, she let go of him, allowing the berry-boy to plummet as she flew down afterwords, a blade already drawn. Running on instinct, he called out. "Protect, Zangetsu!" and his personal unit activated as well, firing off a couple alarms already in the building. Holding out his hand, he also pulled out a blade of his own, a standard looking blade of unimpressive make. Then, firing of his thrusters on his wings, he charged after his friend.

They clashed and broke apart many times, sparks erupting with every strike. They laughed at the sight of panicking students, their surprise fueling their fun. Eventually, they stopped, having noticed that several instructors had flown to their position. They landed simultaneously, the adrenalin from the spar wearing off, and high-fived with weary arms.

"Orimura, wha-wha-what are you doing!" A female voice spoke up behind the mob of instructors, of whom got shoved aside from a rushing green-haired woman. "Why were yo- What the?!" The woman almost continued her tirade when she finally noticed the boy beside her. Ichigo looked at her with an amused look, his lips pressed in a cocky manner. Chifuyu brushed some dust off her pilot's outfit, of which Ichigo took note on how tight it was, and straightened up. "Well, I managed what I came here to do." She said, her voice dropping a few degrees. "This boy here is the only male IS pilot-" Many gasps were elicited from this, confusion dominant in the large crowd. "-and I saw with my own eyes that this boy is skilled, so treat him well." Without even allowing a response, she continued on, walking up to Ichigo as she pulled a slip of paper from her cleavage. "You are to live here until the current semester ends. You will have graduated by then and perfectly acceptable to join in the Academy, who will provide housing for you. My number is also there if you need to call me. Now I have to leave, an Academy in Germany is waiting for my return."

She then, against the protests of the women surrounding them, reactivated her IS and flew away, presumably in the direction of said country. All attention then was switched to Ichigo, causing him to panic. After all, how would you respond to a bunch of shining eyes pointed in your direction? "So, ah, is there a test or something that I have to take?" The strawberry said, rubbing the back of his head with a low chuckle.

The mob converged upon him, their voices merging together into a loud white noise that he could make no sense of. As they were jostling him about, trying to grab onto him, he passed out, exhaustion catching up to his weary body.

_Ichigo opened his eyes, finding himself to be laying upon his back. He felt as if he lain upon something soft, almost feathery in a way. He then sat up, taking immediate note that he appeared to be in his Final Getsuga form again. The shock was enough to force his body to stand, for he didn't remember activating this form. Then, a genius question popped into his head. 'Where the hell am I?'_

_Ichigo looked around and ashes everywhere in sight. It looked as if it were to be silent, for there was nothing but ashed, but there was a noise, a very faint one mind you, that he had to strain to barely hear. Craning his neck, he tried to focus on the sound, only for it to go silent. He ran off to where he heard it, only to notice that it was as if he never did. The landscape, barren ash piles, seemed like they were when he began. Then, ever so faintly, he felt as if something tugged him to the right, as if to draw his attention. Knowing nothing else to do, he ran in the way he felt was right. He heard the faint noise again as he ran as well._

It was getting louder slowly, ever so slowly, but it was increasing in volume. He continued to run though, feeling as if he didn't have a choice in the matter. When he could make sense of the noise, he was confused. The noise appeared to be a screaming of sorts, full of agony and pain. He picked up the pace, running faster and faster until he saw a giant mound in the distance that was closing in ever so slowly. But even with his insane speeds, it still took what felt like ages to reach the mound. With no change of pace, he almost knew that the ash pile was safe to climb, it somehow having been pact tightly, and pause when he saw the top. There was four graves there, and a feeling of dread washed over him. The screaming he heard get steadily louder had stopped too.

_Then, the world he was in exploded in the noise. Instead of it sounding off in vague direction, it was everywhere, even below his feet. The noise was to excruciatingly loud now that he had to press his hands against his ears, squinting in pain._

_Then a scene that would haunt him for some time to come happened. Out of the ash rose man, woman, and child, all screeching at him. But it wasn't just that, for it would take more to scare him. They all appeared to have chunks missing from them, holes that varied from nearly unnoticeable in size to taking up most of their bodies and limbs. The screams then took form to words. The children begging to know why he failed them, the women and men all yelling and cursing his name for failing to save them successfully. But what hit him hardest right then was what happened next._

At his feet was the mangled and deformed bodies of his sisters Yuzu and Karin. Their eyes were empty, hollow of anything in them, and their hearts was gone. "Why big brother? Why did you kill us?" Yuzu's body said softly, yet somehow heard over the cacophony of blood-curdling shrieks. "You were supposed to protect us, big brother, from anything that was going to hurt us. So why did you?" Karin said, only her skull showing now. Her face was gone, melted off, with only her bones showing, her standard hair upon her skull. She then convulsed, coughing, and what skin was on her back erupted outwards, maggots swarming from inside.

_Those pasty white maggots then formed together, forming two separate figures that slowly gained color. When this began, everything else had stopped, aside from Ichigo and his breathing. Then, the random zombies began to back off, giving Ichigo some room to breath. He decided to look away, and instead spun around, looking at those around him and questioned silently why they stopped approaching him, stopped their screaming, when a voice he both hoped to hear and despaired to hear at the same time spoke up, saying only one thing. "Ichigo."_

He froze, turning around at a maddeningly slow pace. Looking at where he heard the voice, the boy saw a sight that he nearly wept at. There, standing side by side was his dead family, looking as if nothing had happened. Yuzu and Karin at the outside of the four, standing, smiling, and waving at him. On the inner left was a widely grinning Isshin, who had his eyes closed and was looking like his younger, handsome and devilish self, one arm wrapped around the person to his right, his other scratching the back of his head.

_Ichigo's heart, which had been progressively slowing in speed, had stopped altogether when his eyes had lain upon the final person, resting upon her orange, long hair, then upon her chocolate brown eyes, before zooming out and resting upon her figure as a whole. The world slowed to a snail's pace, and Ichigo's breathing hitched, a sobbing sound emanating from the masculine teen. "Mother?" He asked between the tears that now fell down his face, a look of joy dominating any form of distrust._

Then, shattering the illusion that was before him, all of the dead family members started to laugh. At first, it could have passed as a laugh at a stupid question, but it slowly grew darker, and a black shadow fell over their faces. The laughter took an evil tone, slowly becoming more and more demonic in tone. Their shoulders hunched over, the laughter dying down, before they launched back up, arching backwards some, their faces contorted with their own evil smiles that split their face in two, bloodshot eyes almost bulging outside of their sockets, before they all silenced at once, snapping their attention back to him with perfect synchronization. The crazed look remained there, but fathomless anger also took root in their eyes.

"You have no right to call us that, murderer." Karin said in a voice similar to razors, her head low with eyes glinting a dark red in the darkness caused by her hair, soon followed by Yuzu who spoke in an equally cutting tone. "What kind of monster, some grave desecrater, deserves to call her their mom after all." When Yuzu finished this, bloody tears fell from her face, a gaze full of malice and loathing greeting his eyes directly. 

_Then Isshin took his turn, speaking in an uncharacteristic serious tone that bore a slight edge of insanity. "Even after you so cruelly took the center of our personal universe away, we still kept you. We fed you, nurtured you through your depression, your emotional weakness. Hell, I even tried to not act like I hated you for it, and look how you repay us. You single handedly killed your little sisters, your father, and your friends, not even including countless strangers." Isshin stopped here, eyes again bulging in their sockets, each vein clearly visible on the pasty white sclera of his eyes, a cruel smile adorned on his face._

_Masaki had looked like she normally did however, almost as if her mirroring act with the other Kurosakis never happened. Then, in a speed even he could not follow, she had him by the throat, lifting him in the sky with murderous intent overflowing from her near-petite body. "You are not the boy I raised, the boy who was to protect all that he held dear. What have you done to change this, Ichigo? Why have you failed me in both life and in death, not even to mention the fact that you also destroyed every trace of my grave!" Though her face never left the same happy look, each word she spoke had cut a gash into his form and the tone she used was near demonic in nature._

"You are no longer worthy to be my son."  


_With this final statement, plunged her hand into his chest before she tossed Ichigo to the side, right into the horde of undead that lingered near them. As if a cork was released from a water jug, they all burst into action, clawing and snapping at him._

_Ichigo couldn't take it any more. He screamed. Not that simple jump scare scream, but a heart-rending, soul shattering scream that could only identify with true despair. Out of despair and pain, he screamed and thrashed like a newborn child as rows upon rows of teeth sunk into him, the only discernible noise being the evil laughter of the dead Kurosaki family and his miserable howls._

Ichigo woke up with an ear-shattering scream, sitting upright in a foreign bed. He looked around wildly, scanning for the demons of his dreams, before the shock settled in. _'They're right. Of course they are right. I am a fool to think that I could be absolved of the monstrous act I had committed. I murdered everyone I hoped to save, doing what Aizen had planned.' _With a tortured look, Ichigo stared at his, figuratively, blood-soaked hands in disgust.

**"Ichigo." **A voice he knew well finally spoke up, trying to stave off the clouds before they erupted into that which he hated. What took him by surprise though was when his other half acted, dragging Ichigo into his mind.

**X – X In the Inner World X – X**

Ichigo felt the shihahusho he now wore get yanked by about where the scruff of his neck would be, getting thrown into one of the buildings that surrounded them. Flooding had already taken in, covering the lower levels of his World. As he slowly got to his feet, Ichigo barely had time to pull out his blade before getting attacked by his instinct. The negative version of him looked absolutely pissed and had begun letting loose blow after blow with an increasing frenzy, loosening his guard gradually before using a two-handed strike to send Ichigo flying through several other buildings.

After a short while, Ichigo finally regained his balance, and landed on a stable building with his blade withdrawn. "The fuck is up with you!" Ichigo yelled out only to be grabbed by the face and dragged along the height of the building he was on. _**"You are, you pathetic child!" **_The white entity said, rage thick in his voice. Ichigo looked through his holder's fingers and saw something that surprised him greatly. It wasn't his hollow that had grabbed him, but the combined form of the hollow and Tensa Zangetsu, and tears were flowing in an unceasing stream down his face. _**"You keep allowing yourself to mellow in your misery! Why, why, WHY are you so weak?!" **_With another outburst, the melded being slammed his blade down at Ichigo, cracks spider-webbing along the surface they fought upon.

Ichigo couldn't help but feel remorse for his partner. Though he showed rage, all he could feel was worthlessness; worthlessness of oneself as a being, being transmitted through each blade clash. _**"Am I not enough?! I am not strong enough to help you get through your misery? Why must you hold onto these feelings, why must you allow them to fester within yourself? Am I not your partner, your biggest strength?!" **_With each word shouted at him, Ichigo focused on blocking and parrying the overpowering barrage that his opponent struck at him with.

"It is not that, Zangetsu, it really isn't at all." _**"Bullshit! That dream was evidence enough! You feel so worthless, so weak, yet you wield power that none bar the Spirit King holds! When will you be happy partner!" **_The tempo of the sword strokes increased in its fervor, causing sparks to fly and Ichigo's blade to dent. Then, to make matters worse, the sky broke out in a torrential downpour, soaking them both in a matter of moments.

Loosing a desperate plea through a shout, the black and white figure broke away once more, standing in the heart of the storm. Tears continued to well up, falling down his face into the ever-approaching flood below them, as Tensa look at Ichigo. _**"Do you regret gaining the power? Do you regret having me as your partner, your other half?" **_"That's not it!" Ichigo shouted, his saddened expression taking to one of anger. "I could never regret gaining this power! You are just as important to me as my mother was, you are all I have left in terms of family! Yes, I regret using Mugetsu, I admit that! But I do NOT regret having you as my partner."

Ichigo then hung his head, sighing before continuing his speech. "But I destroyed my hometown, committed a mass murder of a whole population, of which about half of my friends were killed as well. Hell, I used so much power that it ripped their very souls apart! I, who will live for centuries more, will never have a chance of meeting them again in their next lives! I am sorry Zangetsu, but I will need time, that much is unavoidable. Please, don't take it as an insult to our bond." As he spoke, Ichigo has leaned his head back, opting to stare at the sky instead of the representation of his depression. Taking a short breath, he closed his eyes and leaned his head forward once more, opening his eyes a final time before staring Zangetsu in his eyes. "Now please, can I leave? I imagine this took some time and someone has to be worrying.

_**"...Very well. I will be holding you to your word, Ichigo, I hope you know that." **_With that, Zangetsu grabbed Ichigo by his shirt and threw him straight up, past the clouds, and out of his mind.

**X – X In the Inner World X – X**

Ichigo kept his eyes shut for a moment more, silently apologizing to Zangetsu, before noticing that he was being shaken, a voice frantically calling out to him, a voice he recognized well.

"Ichigo! Wake up Ichigo! Please tell me you are not dead!" The voice called out. It was feminine, that was obvious, but had so much worry he couldn't quite tell who it was. _'Well, might as well milk this out. Lets have some fun...'_

He mentally smirked, but heard the voice quiet down. _'Aw shit, I think I actually smirked. Well, le...' __****_

_Smack!_

Ichigo quickly sat up, clutching his right cheek as he glared at the perpetrator in anger. "What the hell, Chifuyu!" He yelled before noticing the tears in her eyes. "Idiot, idiot! Why didn't you tell me that you were hurting? There you were, suffering, and you refused to let me help you like you did for me!" She cried out, banging her fists off his chest. _'Huh, it's surprisingly solid...wait, what? Focus girl!' _she thought, shaking her head to focus on the topic at hand. "Do I mean so little to you, after how long we have known each other, that you refuse to share your pain with me? That you feel like you don't want or need my help?! I thought we were closer then that! Do you know how much I worried when, after two days of sleeping, you suddenly start screaming and thrashing about for several minutes before I left to get something to restrain you. And then think about this: when I came back running after hearing a damn near ear-shattering scream, I come to see you limp, not moving in the slightest, barely even breathing! Please, tell me what's wrong so that I can help you!"

Ichigo's gave softened from anger down to regret. He had not clue that she would react in such a way, that she would feel so hurt from not being included. _'Just like Tatsuki...'_ "I'm sorry Chifuyu, I didn't think that you were so worried. It's just...you won't believe it, even if I explained it to you. It really is just that profound of a situation."

Chifuyu stared right in his eyes, understanding that he was perfectly, even if deadly, serious about this. Using a smart-ass tone, she challenged it. "Try me."

With a sigh, Ichigo brushed his hand through his hair, before focusing on her once more. "Alright, fine, I will tell you, but it is going to take a while. I am also going to have to give some back story as well, just so that it makes sense."

**(This is going to be as brief a summary that I can do while making sense.)  
(It is going to explain the situation in a way that doesn't use specifics )  
(for people. If you want to gloss over it, fine. I will notify when it is done. )**

"This world is not the only dimension. There are two others, which holds very different races, but all come from us. There is this world, the World of the Living, the Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo. You already know about the Living world, so I will cover the other two. The Soul Society is made up of normal spirits, that is, most of our souls when we die, and Shinigami, the rulers of that dimension that also battles the beings of Hueco Mundo, the hollows. They, for the most part, are monsters that feed on the souls of the dead and the living. They are iconic for their masks and the holes where their hearts were. Anyways, for the Soul Society, there is a government made up of 13 captains, all of whom have a squad under them. They were the epitome of power in their world, and had a solid government.

"Then, one day, a Shinigami met a human who could see her, which was unprecedented. That human also heard a hollow before she did, and escaped a binding kido, or demon magic, which was also seemingly impossible. That foolish human tried to fight the hollow, only for the Shinigami to throw herself in his way and take the hit. Right after that, she transferred her powers into him, and he gained a blade that was directly affected by spiritual energy, a spirit's power in other words, and it was the largest she had ever seen. He dispatched the hollow with ease, then eventually agreed to take up her job. She trained him in basic fighting up until she was taken back to the Soul Society under charges of transferring her power into a human, who they had cut down a little bit later, because it was a great law violation.

"This human, having been cut down, barely held to life, with all of his borrowed powers gone. A man who wore a green and white stripped bucket hat, clogs, and a weird haori. He took the boy and healed him up, after which he help the boy regain and train his own personal powers so that he could raid the Soul Society to save his friend, the shinigami girl. Alongside his other friends and a black cat, he ran through the connection between dimensions and was chased by that area's 'cleaner', raided the government of the afterlife, defeating lieutenants and captains along the way. During it, he gained what basically was a power-up in the form of a new sword mode, a bankai, from a woman who he thought to have had been a black cat. With this bankai, when it was active, he was insanely fast and strong. He fought toe-to-toe with one of the strongest captains, and almost lost. Then, a hollow spirit that was apparently inside of him, took over for a little and brought them back to the same level of power. When the boy regained his sanity and the man and boy did one final strike, one final move to prove who was superior. The boy, needless to say, won.

"Then, things got weird. During the boy's raid, a captain was killed. None of the boy's group killed anyone, but the government didn't know that. The captain was a well respected male that was found by his lieutenant, who adored him, stabbed into a wall with his own sword. That very captain had shown up near the boy and the captain the boy fought, holding the downed captain's sister, who was the one being saved, in arm. He then shoved his hand into her chest, pulled out a weird orb, and revealed himself to be a traitor. He left with two other captains to Hueco Mundo, were he had an army.

"When the boy returned to the living world, he was losing control of his inner hollow. Eventually, he was approached by a representative of a group of people called Vizards that are just like him. That man tried recruiting the boy many times, but never succeeded any time he tried. Two members of the traitor's army then went into the boy's town and consumed a ton of the townfolks' souls. The boy and two of his friends tried to fight the arrancar, but the fight was very one sided. The boy's friends were defeated and the boy was left emotionally traumatized because the hollow almost took over. Later, another member of that army tried to kill the boy and his friends with fellow members that were his subordinates. The boy was trounced, but the other guy's allies were killed. The enemy left under force, threatening to kill him later.

"Because of that boy's trouncing, the boy looked for the guy who tried to recruit him, found their base, and demanded their help without joining them. He fought with one of the girls in the group, beating her into submission, where he was then accepted into trying to help gain control of his hollow. He was knocked unconscious, shoved into his inner world, and sealed up in an indestructible energy box, set up to fight the group one at a time. The boy fought with his hollow before he passed its hidden test, crushing it temporarily into his soul. This gave the boy special powers that they alone held. The boy fought with the man who tried to kill him and drove him away with the help of the others like him.

"Then, those people under the traitor turned out to be a hollow/shinigami mix named Arrancar. These arrancar had kidnapped one of the boy's friend who had the ability to reject any event. The boy, with no help from the Soul Society, went to Hueco Mundo with his friends, and tore through the world, trying to get to their base to bring her back. They fought many arrancar and ended up getting split up. The boy met three kind arrancar as well, who joined with him and helped when they could. He was met with the first arrancar who beat him, a being that looked emo. They fought a very one sided fight, ending in the boy's death, for that depressing man shoved his hand through the boy's chest, dead center. Then, the emo was put into an alternate plane, trapped by the trapper's guess, for a few hours. Then, that man had the boy's kidnapped friend heal him, and he was brought back to life. Fully healed, the man and boy fought each other, and the boy won for once. Then, a man who ranked higher on the chain of power appeared, and was completely unable to be cut by the boy.

"It was at this point of time that Soul Society had sent reinforcements. Several captains helped the boy, and apparently his friends, kill the other side's arrancar. Then, the fallen captain's top arrancar appeared and took the girl back. The boy then flew to their base, flying up the side of it's larges tower into the throne room, where the girl and pale man was. The boy and the emo fought, destroying the throne room and flying into the sky. Then there actually was a dome that faked sunlight, for when it was broken through, it was pitch black. The boy's foe flew up a giant tower before releasing his ultimate form, which was true terror. He then demolished the boy in a humiliating way, then killed him with an energy blast through the chest.

"By then, the two of the boy's friends had caught up, one of whom was the girl. She screamed out at him, desperate for him to get back to life. The boy did, but in a very bad manner. He came back as a hollow, and ended up wiping the floor with the bastard. His foe was brutalized, missing half of his body, and the boy was charging up an energy blast of his own to finish it. But then, his friend yelled out, this time a guy. The boy, mindless mind you, then threw his blade into the friend's stomach. The bastard then popped up, limbs regenerated, and broke a part of the boy/hollow's mask, causing him to revert back to his shinigami form. The enemy then disintegrated into dust, leaving them to heal the boy's male friend as Ichigo left.

"The main treacherous captain had left a bit earlier with the top three Arrancar as well as the other two treacherous captains, sealing the entryways that the captains took into it. One of the captains, a scientist, found a way to open a portal back, and did so, with the boy and the medic's captain going back to the other side. A war was fought there, the arena being a fake Karakura town, which was swapped with the real one, which was moved into the Soul Society with every human knocked out. When the boy arrived, he tried a sneak attack upon the traitor, but failed, then was toyed with by the said traitor. The boy's thought to be normal father then showed up, along with the weird man who trained the boy and the woman who was thought to be a cat. They too fought and was defeated by the traitor, who changed form due to this weird object in his chest.

"The traitor then left behind the boy, followed by only one other traitor captain, the other of who was killed. That main traitor destroyed the phenomenon that was supposed to keep clear the pathway between dimensions, then continued on his way to the true Karakura town. The boy and his father followed quickly behind, and when they noticed the destroyed phenomenon, used that time to train, for the time in that area flew by at a faster rate then the other dimensions. Here, the boy learned of an ultimate power, one that could handle the traitor with ease. Only downside, he was supposed to lose his powers. When the boy carried his father out of the area and found the traitor, the man changed form again, his ally was dead, and the boy's friends were all about to be killed by the man.

"The boy gave no facial reaction to that, but grabbed the man by his neck and dragged him away, but not far enough. They fought a truly destructive fight, the land getting torn apart at each clash of their blades. The traitor tried to overpower the boy, doing whatever he could in an attempt to hurt him, and the boy hadn't even attacked yet. After destroying an energy coffin that was meant to kill him, the boy attacked, knocking the traitor to and fro, almost toying with him when the man made his last transformation. They clashed again, and the boy was out-classed once more. Then, he used that ultimate technique. His hair elongated and turned black, with gray bandages forming around his stomach, chest, and face, his pants replaced with pure black energy. He used a single attack, one that would cause much ruin. He merely flicked a sword made of pure energy and a black, destructive force swept through the area in front of him, both killing the traitor and destroying the boy's hometown. The body of the dead man flashed then when dark, remaining dead, and the boy somehow kept his powers."

**(It's over now.)**

After Ichigo stopped talking, silence took over them. He never changed his facial expression, nor his tone, the whole time he told his story. Now, he fell silent, knowing that Chifuyu needed time to think. Several minutes passed by, with Ichigo laying against the headboard of the bed he slept on and Chifuyu thinking about what she was told.

"...I have one question, Ichigo...where you that boy?" She asked quietly, almost too much so for he barely heard her. With deliberate slowness, he nodded his head in confirmation. Without another second passing by, she threw herself into his arms, knocking him hard into the headrest. Her hands quickly became fists, knotting his clothes within them, as she quietly sobbed against Ichigo, pitying him for all he went through. Every scar, scratch, near-death, actual deaths, and mental trauma he went through, she cried for him. And it tall all the self control Ichigo could muster to stop himself from holding her, to whisper that it was all okay, but he did allow himself to stroke her hair. For what felt like hours, they stayed that way, embarrassing, before Chifuyu slowly pulled herself away.

She hiccuped a laugh, wiping tears from her eyes, as she looked again at Ichigo. "This seems awfully backwards, doesn't it? It seems like you should be the one crying into me as I comforted you, but here we are." Ichigo cracked a small smile, staring gently at her, before coming to a realization. "Wait, you don't doubt me? I just told you that there is an afterlife and many other dimensions, yet you don't question it at all." "Well, I knew that you wouldn't lie to me, and it seemed a bit too well thought out to be fake." She said, while leaning forward to him.

"But, I do want some proof. Can I see the scars?" Without even waiting for consent though, Chifuyu flashed a smile to stun him before she started to tear his shirt over his head, managing to take it off before he could put up a fight. "Gaahhhh?!" He shouted in surprise. _'How the hell did she take it off so fast?!' _"What the hell Chifuyu!"

Chifuyu gasped in shock though, completely ignoring his complaints. All she could see was he scarred body. She traced with her fingers each gash on his body, from the slightest slivers to the long, jagged scars, her hands roaming all around his chest while barely even touching him, a blush lightly dusted on her face along with his. Her hands began to converge around to the center of his chest, where the was just one huge patch of scar tissue. It was a perfect circle, almost as if a machine had done it, and it brought tears to her eyes once more. Such a body had been marred by countless scars from so many battles for his life.

All the while Ichigo had to focus all he could to not get turned on. Right in front of him was a beautiful childhood friend who had her hands all over him, touching and feeling with such light weight that it felt almost like feathers grazing him. Her touch constantly hesitated, each time as a scar was fully felt out, until her hands converged where he was killed twice, at which point she used both hands to fully examine it. As he felt her hands leave, he heard a soft crying noise come from her, as her words gently approached his ears, almost as if softly caressing him. "So it IS all true...Oh Ichigo..."

And, right at that moment, Ichigo saw for barely an instant an image from his nightmare: the cruel smiling face of his mom, right behind Chifuyu's head, accompanied with even more cruel, haunting words: _You do not deserve her._

Chifuyu looked up, and for barely a millisecond, saw a look of pure terror on his face before being brushed aside. "I think we should get the day going now, shouldn't we?"

And as he walked out the room, all Chifuyu could do was think. _'What happened, Ichigo?'_ **-**  
**Sorry for the unofficial hiatus. Last month, I was just enjoying the month free of responsibility and slacked off on writing, and this month I was away from a computer for most of the time. But, here is to me writing more! I hope you guys enjoyed it! As usual, review and tell me how I did. I promice to pay attention to your words as long as they are constructive, aight? Ichifell, out!**

Also, just so you guys know, that "short" explanation took about 1900 words! And that is with it glossing over a lot of details! Thanks to it, it has made my longest chapter that I have written!


	3. Sorry

Well, my hard drive bit the dust. It seems that computers and smoke, (not mine mind you), does not go hand in hand. Now I have lost ALL of my work on my stories and I was pretty far on one, killing my mood to write that for a while. Kinda like a power surge that shuts off a system when you haven't saved your game in a while.

Anyways, I am posting this saying that I will be greatly limited on my writing. Sorry.

Also, I posted a poll that I want you guys to look into. It is really important for my story Strawberry in the Sky. I will take this down when I have a new hard drive. I am NOT quitting any more stories though!


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